Monday May 25 - Monday June 1. Transfusions and a CT scan

I didn't do a post last week as it was a fairly quiet week, with only one transfusion of platelets on Tuesday the 26th and just some blood tests on Thursday. I saw a couple more of my mates at my local pub on the Bank holiday. I was then back at Kings Hospital on Tuesday. My cannula on Tuesday for some reason was leaking a lot of blood, probably a good thing I was getting platelets.

Need those Platelets yo

Bare blood.

On Thursday I went back to Hospital to have more blood tests. The results showed that I didn't need any transfusions that day so I was able to go home soon after.
My Friday night was spent with my parents, a growing trend in my social life. We went to the IMAX cinema to see Mad Max. I don't think they enjoyed it as much as I did.


Over the weekend I saw my mate Tom for the FA Cup final, curry and Fifa. One day Charlton will make the final.

Tom's 'Spielberg-esque' directing and narrating of my medicine taking. I hope that works. If not,  it's just 10 seconds of Tom talking in high frequencies while I try and have medecine.


Yesterday was a far busier hospital day. Upon arrival I had the usual; cannula inserted and blood tests taken. Due to some earlier cancellations my CT scan was bumped up from Thursday to Monday. In order for this I would need to have some kind of isotope pumped through me so that the healthiness of my organs could be observed. This required a larger cannula, so I ended up having a cannula in each arm.

Get your Cannula out.

Before having the CT scan I was told to drink several glasses of water in quick succession. I assume this is so that the scans can accurately see my kidneys and bladder.

In the CT scan room thing, I was made to lower my trousers to my knees and lay on my back on one of those scan machines which move you in and out of the StarGate looking arch. I probably could of been wearing less embarrassing boxers for the scan as I was in bright yellow LMFAO 'Sexy and I know it' boxers. Because I'm classy like that.

The larger cannula was hooked into something just out of my eyesight and I had to lay with my arms behind my head. One of the doctors told me that after a few minutes of scanning they would start running a liquid through my cannula that would make me feel very hot, and that a lot of patients think they wet themselves. I asked if anyone had ever wet themselves and she said no. I said 'there's always going to be a first.' She said she would let me know when the liquid would start going into me, but I requested ignorance as usual. I don't really care what happens, and seeing as I have no control over what happens, I'd rather it just happened, instead of it being continuously announced and counted down to. It's one of the reasons I still haven't bothered googling any of my illness. I know my mum has, and she didn't particularly enjoy it. So now I was paranoid about not only my classy boxers but also making sure I didn't piss myself.

I went through the machine a few times and a robotic voice would sometimes state 'take a deep breath', 'hold it', 'now breathe'. There was a little picture of a smiling face holding in its breath and then breathing normally that would light up on the machine with the commands, which I stared at the whole time and for some reason found hilarious. Suddenly I felt and even heard the liquid shooting down the tubes and cannula into my arm. Its a weird noise, like when you squeeze a Capri Sun. Immediately I clenched my bladder, no way I'm going to be the first to piss themselves. I felt quite hot and there is a really strange sensation that you've wet yourself. A few minutes later it all finished and a doctor came out, asked if I was alright and sent me on my way.

I went back down to the Hematology ward where I got a load of medication before my platelet unit which again made me really drowsy. After that I was given two units of blood in quick succession (4 hours or so) before my cannulas were removed and I could leave.



I'll be back at hospital on Thursday for some more blood tests, maybe a platelet transfusion. It looks like I will be beginning my treatment on Monday (possibly Tuesday) where I will have to remain at Kings for basically the whole of June.